


The Storyteller

by Miss_SnowWhitePink



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-28
Updated: 2013-10-20
Packaged: 2017-12-27 21:15:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/983700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_SnowWhitePink/pseuds/Miss_SnowWhitePink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Greg thought he would have to sit through the most boring play. Till he meets the lead actor...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I.

**Author's Note:**

> I suck at summaries so I hope that you will give this story a chance.  
> This is my first Jimstrade story which is definitely my guilty pleasure OTP.  
> The rating is for later chapters.  
> I am not quite sure yet where this story will take me.  
> All my thanks to [Mystradesexytimes](http://www.mystradesexytimes.tumblr.com) who edited this chapter.

Greg was bored. Not Sherlock- bloody-Holmes- bored, but bored nonetheless. He really shouldn’t have been. He knew that. He should have just been able to lean back in his chair and relax. It was the least he could do for Mia. Seriously.

He sighed and ran his hands over his short hair.   
Okay. He really needed to get out of the funk he was in. Greg blinked a few times and tried to concentrate on his excited daughter, who was unable to sit still in the seat next to his. 

Every moment he got to spend with her was bittersweet. He was incredibly happy to have her at his side, but at the same time, his happiness was chased away by the dark realization that he would have to let her go home with her mom again, that she wouldn’t wake up the next day in his house and he wouldn't be making her pancakes and giggling over the comics in the morning paper with her.

Greg sighed again. Now he wasn’t bored anymore, but listening to his dark thoughts had made him feel slightly depressed. He managed a more genuine smile when Mia looked at him and squealed about something that guy on stage did.

He nodded and laughed along with her, without really knowing what he was actually laughing about. 

Tamara, his ex-wife, had bought Mia the tickets for this play, and his perfect, sweet, little daughter had asked her dad if he wanted to come with her. And Greg hadn’t been able to say ‘No’ to her. Especially since Tamara actually was okay with it.

Greg snorted. Now he knew why. This was just slightly more exciting than watching paint dry. He had already shared a few commiserating looks with other parents in the audience. But Mia loved it and that was what counted, right?

Right.

Greg rubbed his eyes and focused on what was going on, on the stage.

What was this play about again?

A quick glance down to Mia’s ticket, which she was turning into mush in her hands while wringing it in excitement, told him, after a bit of squinting, that it was a play about the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. 

That really didn’t sound too bad. Maybe if he actually paid attention he wouldn’t be in danger of falling asleep in the small, warm theatre.   
He managed to suppress a yawn while clenching his teeth together and tried to enjoy the play for Mia’s sake.

A man had taken the stage sitting down in a large wingback chair. He looked… _nice_. Greg coughed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. How the hell could he go from total boredom to… _this_. Whatever _this_ was. He just knew that this play had just become much more interesting for him.

The guy on stage smiled to the crowd and waved to a few kids in the first rows of the audience. Greg cracked a smile.

The actor opened the large book that was resting in his lap and gave a long pause. Mia was sitting on the edge of her seat by now.

“Hello everyone!” The young crowd cheered for him. The guy smiled and leaned back in his chair.

“Let me tell you a story…”

His voice sounded soft and charming. Greg bit his lip, trying to hide his grin. Maybe this play wouldn’t be quite as awful to watch as he had feared.

*~*

“And the _wolf_! Did you see the wolf, Dad?” 

Greg grinned as Mia skipped alongside him when they left the theatre. She was tugging on his hand, jumping up and down as she named every single one of her favourite things about the play.

“Yes. Of course. I saw _the_ exact same play.” Greg chuckled and let her prattle on. It was cute and he loved seeing her this happy. It also helped in getting him out of this spell he had seemed to be under for the last two hours.

Greg would have never thought that it ever would be necessary to hide a beginning attraction to an actor while watching a children’s play. 

He shook his head and took a deep breath when they stepped out of the building. That helped. Greg smiled down at Mia. She had really enjoyed herself and even he had to admit that it wasn’t as bad as he had feared. He was just surprised how creepy and cruel some fairy tales were. Had they always been like that? 

They would have to have been, because Mia didn’t say anything and took it all in stride. Kids were weird sometimes.

“How he ate the grandma… and then Little Red Riding Hood. That was sooo cool!” 

Greg eyed his daughter. Yep. _Definitely_ weird.

They had just stepped down on to the street when Greg already saw _her_ standing there. Auburn hair wrestled into a tight bun, arms crossed, scowl on her face, tapping her feet in annoyance.

He looked at his watch. Shit! The play went on longer than it should have. He didn’t notice and hadn’t had called her. Fuck!

He gripped Mia’s hand a bit tighter, making her babble cease. This was the moment he had been dreading all afternoon and that would be even worse now if Tamara was pissed off. Which she clearly was.

“Do you know how long I’ve been waiting here?” 

Greg pressed his lips together. What did she want him to do? Leave early?

Mia was quiet. He squeezed her small hand a bit. Greg hated when Tamara started something in front of their daughter. 

“The play went on a little bit longer. It’s not a big deal.” He tried to get her to calm down, speaking in his ‘understanding officer’ voice. But clearly that had been the wrong thing to say.

“Not a big deal?” Her eyebrows were up at her hairline, right there with her voice which just got an octave higher.

Greg knew that tone. Knew it all too well.

Oh oh.

“Mia? Get in the car!” Her voice sounded like ice. Her face was pinched.

“Tammy, come on!” Greg tried to reason with her but her look made him stop. _Right_. Apparently he had lost the right to call her that along with the right to calling her ‘my wife’.

“ _Tamara_ , please!”

His heart was beating furiously. She couldn’t do that.

Mia’s happy little face was long gone and he was looking at the quiet little girl again. It hurt.

Greg bend down and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Bye, Baby. Do as your mum says.” Him causing a scene was the last thing his little girl needed right now. 

“I’ll see you on the next weekend, okay?” he whispered. “And I can call you every night before you go to sleep.” 

He squeezed her hand again, trying to make her look up at him. But she didn’t.

“Bye, Daddy.” Mia whispered and her hand went slack and slipped from his grip much too fast. 

Greg’s breath hitched and he had to swallow. This moment was always the worst. Till the next moment, which was even worse when he saw she going over to her mother who gripped her hand and lead her over to the open car door.

Greg gnashed his teeth not to scream out loud.  
His jaw was beginning to hurt.

He lifted a hand anyway and gave a small wave. “Bye, honey!” He even managed to put on a small smile even though doing so made his face feel as if it were splitting in two.

Mia looked back at him, her brown eyes large and sad in her little face. 

Greg’s heart did a painful clench when she waved back at him one last time, before Tamara started the car and took his little girl with her.

Greg’s hand had clenched into fists at his sides. It _hurt_. And it always hurt more instead of less every time it happened. 

He swallowed again and coughed.

“You look like you could need a drink.”

Greg’s head swivelled around. That voice… 

And yes. This was the actor standing next to Greg. Looking even more attractive from up close than from a few feet away. _Damn_!

Greg was so surprised that he didn’t even notice that it was obviously him the guy had been talking to.

He looked around, but yes, everyone else was on their way home tugging their excited and/or tired-looking kids behind them.

He just managed to keep himself from pointing at his chest and asking “Me?”

Instead he coughed again and rubbed a hand over his face. The actor was watching his every move.

That had been an invitation, right? Greg licked his lips. What if it wasn’t? _Oh for God’s sake man, strap on a pair!_

Nice. Now had even his inner voice begun to sound like his ex.

That fact, more than anything, made him nod as he answered:

“Yes. Yes. I could _really_ use a drink right now.”

The guy’s lips twitched into something like a grin. “Me, too. I know a pub at the corner. Do you, _mayb_ e, want to join me?”

Okay. That was _definitely_ an invitation. One that even Greg couldn’t explain away.

His head hurt and his heart was still aching from seeing Mia being taken away from him. And the guy was attractive, dammit. Even if he was a bit young, maybe…

Greg shook his head. Having a drink together didn't mean that the guy was coming on to him. He huffed. _As if…_

“Yes. I think I will join you.” He licked his lips again. “Name’s Greg.” He tilted his head.

The actor held out his hand, his gaze firmly fixed on Greg’s face.

“I’m Richard. Nice to meet you.”


	2. II.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a date. Right?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been edited by the wonderful [Mystradesexytimes](mystradesexytimes.tumblr.com). 
> 
> I hope you like it. I'm a bit nervous about the characterization of Lestrade and Richard.

Richard was right. The pub was just around the corner and looked very nice. 

“We come here all the time after a performance.” The younger man said to Greg as they chose a small table a few feet away from the bar. Well, Richard chose this spot. A small table in a small booth. So small that their knees were almost touching when they both sat down.

Greg made sure that it really was just ‘ _almost_ ’. He didn’t want to bump knees with this handsome stranger for an hour after he just spend the last two and a half secretly lusting after him and imagining how it must be to kneel before him in the old wingback chair he sat in while telling his creepy fairy tales.

Greg coughed to get that thought out of his head. He was here to enjoy a drink. A much needed drink. He always did after encountering his ex-wife these days. It was always the same story with Tamara; She always wanted Greg to do something, and being the nice, naïve human being that he was, he always did it for her and it always ended with her being pissed at Greg because apparently he could do nothing right in her eyes.

It made him wonder why she asked him to take Mia to the play in the first place.   
As if it were _his_ fault that this stupid play had gone on longer than it should have. Seriously!

Greg rubbed a hand over his face, sighing just when Richard returned to the table and put a pint in front of him.

“Thought it was a bit early for something stronger. Even though you look like you need it.” The actor shrugged and Greg huffed in response.

“’S true!” Greg took a long swallow from his glass, licking the foam off his lips afterwards.

“Thanks, mate!” He tipped his glass into Richard’s direction. 

“No problem.” His companion nodded and sipped from his own glass. “I couldn’t help but overhear what was going on in front of the theatre.” The actor raised one of his, Greg couldn’t help but notice, incredibly well-formed eyebrows.

“Do you want to talk about it? Maybe? I mean… I just thought I’d offer… in case you want to.”

Greg was strangely touched by the words and the gesture and smiled when Richard looked down into his pint. Was that a blush spreading across his cheeks?

No, that was probably just a trick of light. Greg nodded and licked his lips. 

“Thanks for the offer, mate. But…. no. I’m good. Let me just drown my sorrows in a pint or two and I will be alright.”

“ _Oh_ , okay.” Richard nodded. “You can call me Rich, by the way. If you want to.”

The younger man looked up again and yes. This time it really was a blush that Greg was seeing. The sight made his lips twitch with the beginnings of a smile. First he got the surprising invitation for a drink and now he had a good-looking bloke blushing while talking to him.

Greg nodded. “ _Rich_. Okay. I would offer you my nickname but I fear Greg is as short as it is going to get.”

He pulled a frown. Richard - Rich - huffed out a laugh.

“I like your name. It fits you.”

Greg tilted his head. That was an interesting thing to say. “How so?”

Rich crossed his arms on the table, leaning forward a bit. He shrugged half-heartedly. 

“I… I don’t know. It just seems to fit, you know? You look… like someone dependable, nice, sturdy… did I mention nice?”

Greg grinned and scratched the back of his neck. _Nice_ , huh? He could definitely live with that.

It was absolutely surreal that this young, talented actor should have any interest in him but Greg couldn’t really deny all the evidence that seemed to be there.

“Yeah. Okay. If you put it like that.” Greg shrugged too and grinned a bit wider, his tongue wetting his lower lip.

Maybe he should try something… 

He leaned over the table himself. There was less than a half-foot of space between their faces now.

“So, Rich, tell me… How come that a talented and _nice_ young actor like yourself ended up doing children’s theatre? I think you are… _nice_ …. enough to be on television.”

He raised an eyebrow and nearly pumped his fist in triumph when Rich began to smile brightly and repeated the gesture.

“How much time do you have, Greg? Because that is one looong story…”


End file.
